The Beverly Hills 90210 Show Podcast: Episode 129: Season 5 Casting.

Dianne Young and Alan Toy (Professor Finley) are guest hosts.

• Rosin went out with another couple, along with Rosin’s granddaughter and grandson. The guy from the couple was a quiet lawyer, until they got to talking about Beverly Hills, 90210. Then he opened up a lot.

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Toy interview:

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• Toy was friends with Paul Waigner. Waigner was always trying to find roles for actors with disabilities.
• Waigner said while he’s always trying to find positive roles for actors with disabilities, they have a not so nice role coming up. Would he be interested? Toy said yes, he’s played plenty of minor characters, he’s happy to play a character of any type in a prominent role.
• Jason Priestley directed Toy’s first episode, “Sweating It Out”.
• Priestley wanted Jim Byrnes, Paul Waigner wanted Alan Toy.
• Byrnes had lost both of his legs in an accident in the 1970s.
• The show had won a media access award for “Blind Spot”. The award was then taken away when they found out the piano teacher actress wasn’t really blind.
• During season 5, Baywatch won a media access award, over Beverly Hills, 90210 in the Professor Finley plots.
• Professor Finley used his disability as a weapon.
• Toy doesn’t think Jim Byrnes would have worked as well, because Byrnes was physically intimidating. But Toy’s character was better off mentally menacing.
• Toy has lost many auditions to Byrnes.

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• Young had been asked to look for replacements for Doherty, at one point.
• Young didn’t have a good answer. She did think of someone, but also thought that actress was too young. She doesn’t remember who she thought of.
• Roseanne, and Fresh Prince Of Bel Air, also replaced some actors.
• There was only one time in Rosin’s run that they didn’t have the script ready for the director.
• When the Tennessee Williams plot came in season 4, that’s when Rosin and Mollin knew Doherty wouldn’t be coming back. So they had to then make adjustments to the script.
• No guest star ever said anything bad about Doherty to Young.
• Young heard stories, but never saw anything herself.
• Young did see Doherty playing with Young’s assistant’s baby. It was sweet.
• Young did not know Doherty personally.
• Young stayed off the set. Although sometimes she did like looking at Molly Cambpell’s wardrobe options for the characters.

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• Young was concerned about Tiffani Amber Thiessen and Brian Austin Green dating. But Young also thought everyone already knew that.
• Alicia Silverstone, Drew Barrymore, Alyssa Milano, Elisa Donovan, Heidi Lenhart auditioned for Valerie Malone. Lenhart was the runner up.
• Barrymore’s agent declined, to Young.
• Once Milano was eliminated, Thiessen was the front runner.
• Young heard that Brian Austin Green was not happy with Thiessen’s casting.
• Green thinks it’s funny now.
• Young tried to stay from rumors, she kept them to herself.

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• Aaron Spelling had wanted Jamie Walters for years. He had him previously on “The Heights”.
• Rosin says Walters was easy to get along with.
• There was one day where Young auditioned 90 people.
• Young got herself invited to the Rolling Stones concert.
• Ian Ziering was having trouble getting into the Rose Bowl, because of traffic. Young gave him directions so he could get there via the back way.
• In Mollin’s original draft, there was supposed to be a scene with the Rolling Stones at the Peach Pit. The Rolling Stones said no.
• Young: Wings Hauser is interesting. There’s nobody else like him. He makes her laugh.
• Luke Perry suggested Wings Hauser, when Rosin and Mollin told him there was going to be a detective character.
• Young does not remember Jeffrey King (Charlie).
• Jessica Klein and Steve Wasserman knew Milton Berle. They hung out together even though Klein and Wasserman had split up by then.
• They got an Emmy for that show.
• Aaron Spelling told Rosin “as soon as Berle is on the set, stay there for the duration.”
• Jessica Klein would talk to Young about casting.
• Jessica Klein knew Lou DiMaggio and his wife.
• There was one actress who came in and had a white dress. She was reading for the producers. Everyone stared at her white dress as she was leaving. Young can’t remember her name.
• Rosin says, that was Paula Trickey (Dottie).
• Caroline Lagerfelt (Sheila Silver) is someone Young had known for a while.
• During “Sweating It Out”, Blockbuster had bought the Spelling company. Blockbuster wanted to create a character for the head of Blockbuster’s wife. They wrote a character for a waitress at a diner serving pie. (Pamela Berrard).
• Young had to tell Sara Melson (Allison) that she’d be playing a lesbian.
• In season 4, Brandon Douglas didn’t want to play a gay character. So Young had to look for his replacement. Patrick Fabian was Charlie Dixon in “The Little Fish”. Sean O’Bryan was Charlie Dixon in “Greek To Me”.
• Casper Van Dien (Griffin Stone) had auditioned many times before.
• Tori Spelling would recommend some people to Young.
• Some of the male cast members would look through Young’s audition list, with pictures, to try and find girlfriends.
• Jon Gries was a dope dealer in “Intervention”. Rosin liked his portrayal of the drug dealer.
• Young also loved him.
• Young doesn’t remember James C Victor (Peter).
• FJ Rio (Alex Diaz) was a delight.
• Rio would still say hello to Young even after his role was done. He had one of the top 2 thank you notes, to Young, that she’s ever received.
• Pete Ferriero says Rio will come on the podcast.]
• Young does not remember any difficulties with Monica Schnarre (Elle).
• Mollin says they’d be run out of town now, for doing that plot.
• Young says most of the time, you can throw the most unusual stuff at actors, and they will want to do it. That’s what happened with Schnarre. They like the adventure.
• Young: Caroline McWilliams (Luanna Pruit) was terrific.
• Young doesn’t remember Joey Slotnick (Tuck).
• Young: Vicellous Shannon (Juwan) had a great face.
• Young loved James Handy (Tom Rose). He was a friend of a friend from Dan Lauria (The Wonder Years).
• Mollin was excited to get James Handy.
• Young did not know what was going to happen with Rosin, Carteris, Eckhouse, and Potter leaving.
• Young was glad Mollin was still there, when season 6 started.
• Young: In season 7, more corporate people came in.
• Rosin: By then (season 7), Spelling was owned by Viacom.
• Season 5 was Rosin’s best ratings.
• They got Howie Long because FOX had just gotten the NFL.
• They got Alex Trebek for the Jeopardy episode.